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Actor and singer Darren Day was banned from driving for 18 months today after admitting being drunk behind the wheel.

The 40-year-old was almost twice the drink-drive limit when he was pulled over by police in Cardiff city centre in the early hours of June 18.

Darren Day

He had been due to stand trial at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court today after denying the charge at a previous hearing.

But he arrived at court this morning without legal representation and changed his plea to guilty.

As well as banning Day from driving, District Judge Geraint Watkins also fined him £700.

Prosecutor David Roberts told the court there had been a lack of correspondence from Day’s solicitors in relation to potential differences in the case and that he was told yesterday afternoon the actor intended representing himself.

Mr Roberts said police spotted the black Mercedes driven by Day as they patrolled St Mary Street in Cardiff and believed it was breaking the speed limit.

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He said the officers turned their car around and followed the Mercedes, which went through a red light at the road’s junction with Mill Lane.

Mr Roberts said the police flashed their car’s blue lights and sounded the siren and the Mercedes was driven on to the wrong side of the road before it stopped.

He said Day failed to complete a breath test procedure: “He appeared to hesitate and sucked rather than blew.”

The prosecutor said Day was then taken to a police station where he was given another test which gave a reading of 65 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath.